8 There was a man all alone;
he had neither son nor brother.
There was no end to his toil,
yet his eyes were not content with his wealth.
“For whom am I toiling,” he asked,
“and why am I depriving myself of enjoyment?”
This too is meaningless—
a miserable business!
he had neither son nor brother.
There was no end to his toil,
yet his eyes were not content with his wealth.
“For whom am I toiling,” he asked,
“and why am I depriving myself of enjoyment?”
This too is meaningless—
a miserable business!
9 Two are better than one,
because they have a good return for their work:
10 If one falls down,
his friend can help him up.
But pity the man who falls
and has no one to help him up!
11 Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.
But how can one keep warm alone?
12 Though one may be overpowered,
two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.
because they have a good return for their work:
10 If one falls down,
his friend can help him up.
But pity the man who falls
and has no one to help him up!
11 Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.
But how can one keep warm alone?
12 Though one may be overpowered,
two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.
Who did you think of when you read verse 8? I don't know if everybody knows someone like this, and perhaps it isn't someone you know personally, but I wonder if someone popped into your head as you read about a man all alone, no family, working, working, working to get STUFF, and in the end, what good is it to him? NONE. (Scrooge may have come to mind, if no one else.)
We were built for relationships. Not everyone is going to see the need for a relationship with God, but I think most people recognize that life is better when you share it with other people. I recently read an article that described the ways that people who are married have it better than those who are single. I don't remember in which magazine I read it, so I can't go pull any quotes, but the main gist of things was that people who are married, sharing the burdens and the joys that are a part of life, are healthier, experience less pain and illness, and live longer. This isn't the first article I've read that makes these observations. It is apparently a well documented fact. We were designed to share our lives with others!
"For whom am I toiling?" Are my priorities lined up with what I want from this short life, or lined up with what God wants for my eternal soul? There isn't anything wrong with wanting a nice house or car, or saving for the future, but when is it enough? Have you ever noticed that the more someone has, the more they seem to feel they need? Or the more concerned they become about losing it now that they have it, so they live with that anxiety and worry all the time. But pity the man who relies only on his wealth and has no friend to help him when he needs it. Wealth lasts only as long as we are on this earth. Our souls are eternal. When we pass from this world, we'll never see our possessions again, but those with whom we've had close relationships... well, we hope to spend eternity with them. It's similar to working hard and eating healthy to maintain a healthy, fit body (or, unfortunately, because of the importance of physical appearance in our society), which lasts only as long as we are on this earth, and ignoring the nutrition and exercise needed by our spirit, which is eternal.
Happy Thursday!
Tomorrow's scripture focus: Ecclesiastes 4:13-16.
1 comment:
Great post Miriam. So true. The only things we can take with us to heaven are our friends and memories with those friends. That is our wealth. That is what it pays to invest in.
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